Snow Trouble
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: This is a sequel to Hidden Hearts. SeoHyun has found her place in Aspen Creek but someone wants to upset that happiness. What will Charles and Anna do when a school trip turns into a scary ordeal? /Rated for safety/
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own Alpha and Omega

Snow Trouble

Charles looked up and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a small smile as he watched SeoHyun bounding through the snow in her wolf form. At the deepest points the snow was up to her chest, but she didn't let it bother her. She just plowed through it like it was nothing.

At fourteen years old she had seen snow before back in her native Korea but she had never had this big an expanse of snow to play in and she was going to touch every inch of it she could. She had been young there and her parents were forced to always look over their shoulders for fear that someone would turn them in and they would be dragged back to North Korea and certain death. Now that she had been adopted officially by him and his wife they could not deport her to either Korea because their adoption made her an American citizen with a social security number and as much right to the protection of the United States Government as any other American. It was a relief to not have to worry about someone trying to get her deported to North Korea; where she would, most certainly, be killed for her parents' defection.

He couldn't believe it had been nearly five months since he took in a tiny, skittish werewolf girl. Now he could barely recognize the wolf in front of him as that same girl. He kept watching, his amusement growing as he saw his mate break through the tree line after SeoHyun. It was almost Christmas and the whole town of Aspen Creek was getting into the spirit of the season.

SeoHyun's school was planning a weekend ski trip to a nearby resort to celebrate the end of a very good semester. Charles had been hesitant to let SeoHyun go, but his Da reminded him that Tag was one of the trip chaperones and he could easily care for SeoHyun, so it was with much trepidation that Charles signed the paperwork to let SeoHyun go on the trip. The full moon had already past so that was a concern no one had to worry about.

Charles couldn't keep in his chuckle as Anna tackled SeoHyun into the snow and they began to play fight. After a few minutes the play fighting became far more interesting than his routine truck maintenance and he joined in the fun. That evening they would need to start packing for SeoHyun's trip, but for the moment they could all just play.

Bran drove up the old road that lead up to his son's home. He knew his son was worried about SeoHyun going on the trip despite his best efforts to convince him that it would be fine. He knew that Charles had a gift for knowing things and he had a bad feeling that this was one of those times when he really should listen to his son.

He had a gift for SeoHyun; she didn't have any ski equipment of her own so he got all of her measurements and bought her some special for this trip. He was happy to be a grandfather again and more than willing to spoil his granddaughter as much as he possibly could much to Charles' chagrin and Anna's amusement. Really Samuel could have told them this would happen, it had happened with almost all of his children, all of the ones that Bran was a part of their lives.

Charles heard his father's vehicle coming up the road to his house but didn't try to stop the play fight with SeoHyun and Anna.

Anna on the other hand did stop when Bran arrived; which left Charles and SeoHyun playing in the snow which was fine by both of them.

Charles joined her a few moments later and SeoHyun sat in the snow and pouted as she wasn't ready to stop playing just yet. This action made Bran laugh.

"I brought her a gift for the trip." Bran told them as they all started into the house, Anna shot into their room to change while SeoHyun ran into her room to change.

Charles had cocoa ready for everyone ready by the time the two females finished their respective changes and got dressed to return to the kitchen.

SeoHyun took her cup and came to stand by Bran while Anna took hers and sat on the counter next to Charles.

"I have a gift for you." Bran told SeoHyun as he presented her with a long box. She put her cup down and opened it to uncover a pair of skis and incorporated in the design on the toe of the skis was her name in Hangul.

She gasped in surprise "Thank you, Bran!" she hugged his neck then began to look over the ski design. They had a design in her favorite shade of green with on a white background with the Hangul in a light lavender color.

"Da how did you get those," Charles asked.

"I know some people." Bran replied with a smile. Sure they had cost a little more having the custom name put on them but he saw them as being completely worth it to get that reaction out of SeoHyun.

Anna showed SeoHyun that they too had a gift for her; it was a new ski outfit that matched her skis.

"This… this is too much… thank you." She smiled weakly as she looked at the gifts her new family had given her.

They ate dinner and began to pack her things for the trip. Charles knew that this weekend was a good thing for SeoHyun but there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him that this trip was going to end up a nightmare, he didn't understand the dread that welled up in his gut and sent his brother wolf into a protective rage. Was there something sinister in the future of this trip? He wished he could explain what he felt, maybe he could convince SeoHyun not to go, he could take her skiing another day, but he couldn't explain it, he could never explain those feelings and it frustrated him to no ends.

Breakfast the next morning was a quiet affair, but then again it was unusually early for them. The early start meant they got to the school on time to put SeoHyun on the bus to the resort. She hugged Anna and Charles and got onto the bus with the other students that were going on the trip. She soon found a seat with Kara.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Kara said excitedly.

"I know… I'm so nervous." SeoHyun replied.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Kara assured her.

SeoHyun gave a smile as they watched Tag get in the bus and come to sit near them. They knew Tag wouldn't let them be harmed, Tag was fiercely protective of those he claimed as his and on this trip he claimed them.

SeoHyun sat back in her seat relaxed by the presence of two dominant wolves, sure neither of them was anywhere near as dominant as Charles but it didn't matter anymore, they were her pack, her family and she trusted them unconditionally.

Tag chuckled under his breath when he realized SeoHyun was asleep. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this was the same SeoHyun who hid behind Charles the first time they met. He had worried about her, submissive, abused and scared, now there was little trace of that SeoHyun left. She was a vivid and lively teenage girl with an unparalleled lust for life and a smile that lit up a room and to many people's surprise they had Charles to thank for a lot of that.

 **To Be Continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

The students filed out of the bus to see that the resort was gorgeous and they couldn't wait to get their stuff into the rooms and get to the slopes.

The teacher went over the ground rules and then they were escorted to their rooms. SeoHyun was with Kara along with a girl named Amanda and a female chaperone named Liz. They unpacked and started to meet with the group that was going to go ski after they ate lunch.

"There are basic lessons over here, they are free to anyone who wants or needs them" the escort told them cheerfully as they walked across the slope to the ski lifts and both Kara and SeoHyun went for the lessons. Those that already knew how to ski started down the slopes.

Both young werewolves were doing very well on the lessons when Tag found them again. He hated that he couldn't be in a room closer to SeoHyun an Kara as he promised their foster families and Kara's biological one that he would look after them on this trip, but he understood that they were girls and he was a guy and there had to be rules to protect them from guys that would put their hands on such pretty young girls.

He was proud of them, SeoHyun especially as she had been very skittish before, but was now so outgoing. She was a strong and capable young wolf now and there were so many that needed to be thanked for that fact none more than Anna, Charles and Bran who had formed a new family unit for her and gave her the strength to not even let Leah's harsh words affect her.

Anna watched as Charles paced nervously, Tag had called about an hour prior to tell him that they all made it safely to the resort and that the students were going to the slopes to ski after they had lunch. He couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't have sent SeoHyun on the trip and he couldn't ferret out a reason why and he hated it.

Anna understood what he was going through, she knew that often those feelings meant bad things would happen but they didn't want to hurt SeoHyun by telling her she couldn't go. At first, it had eased up when Tag volunteered to go along as a chaperone, but now it was back full force and he couldn't help worry about her and that had Anna worried.

She had told Tag what was going on with Charles and he assured them that he would keep a close watch on her but unfortunately he couldn't watch her all the time.

SeoHyun arrived at the base of the bunny slope feeling extremely proud of herself for making it to the bottom without falling or getting hurt in any way. This was a fun trip and she was really beginning to enjoy skiing. She headed back to the chair lift when she noticed someone strange watching her from a distance. She reached through the pack bonds and sent her nervous energy to Tag as a way to let him know something was wrong. He met her at the top of the chair lift.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Someone was watching me at the bottom of the slope… I didn't get a good look at his face and the wind was wrong for me to catch any scent but…" she trailed off unsure of what she saw.

"Stay up here for a little while and relax." He advised and took her someplace where she could sit down by an outdoor space heater. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

His eyes scanned the slope but he saw no one. He didn't doubt she saw someone, the way Charles was acting Tag knew to be on high alert for danger.

SeoHyun removed her skis and took a seat and one of the attendants handed her a cup of cocoa.

"Thank you." SeoHyun made brief eye contact with the woman before looking down into her cocoa. She waited a couple of moments before taking a sip, sure a burned tongue would only last a few seconds but that didn't mean it wouldn't still hurt. The cocoa was rich and delicious.

"This is really good." She commented with a smile.

She stayed with the group for several more minutes before Tag decided it would be okay for her to go ski again. He was sure that whoever she saw was probably long gone by that time.

Her next run was even better than her last one as she was getting better and better at balancing and her body was getting used to what it needed to do.

Tag was getting worried as he got down his slop and didn't see SeoHyun anywhere. Was she taking longer than him to get down, had she fallen somewhere along the way? He wasn't sure but he didn't like this.

He heard SeoHyun scream for help and clicked his skis off to go find her.

He got to the bottom of the bunny slope and all he found were her skis and ski poles amidst signs of a struggle. He cursed under his breath then pulled out his phone to call Charles. He hated this; he hated having to make this call.

Charles was getting ready to go to his father's to talk about a recent case that came up when his cell phone rang. It was Tag's number so he answered it.

"Tag, what is going on?" he asked

"I don't know, I think SeoHyun has been kidnapped" Tag replied.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Charles felt as if someone had pulled the rug from under his feet. Someone had captured SeoHyun. How had they done it, she was a werewolf. Were her captors werewolves? Millions of questions were swimming through his mind as he picked up the phone and called his father.

"Da she should have never gone on that trip!" he said not even bothering with a greeting. Between him and his father it wasn't necessary.

 _"Charles, what has happened? I felt SeoHyun panic over the pack bonds then... it was like she passed out."_

"She was kidnapped!" Charles cut in.

 _"I'm on my way over there,"_ Bran replied.

They got off the phone and Charles began to pace the living room waiting for his father. Anna wanted to calm him but she didn't have any calm to share at the moment, she was scared out of her mind. Their child was in danger and there was nothing they could do until they had some idea where she was.

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Bran didn't even knock on the door, he just let himself in as the phone rang and Charles answered on the second ring.

"Hello..." he said curtly

 _"Help me..."_ it was SeoHyun

"SeoHyun..." he had to force brother wolf back, something he wasn't accustomed to doing

 _"Da... please...I want to go home… I'm scared..."_

Charles looked at his father, his eyes showing with the promise of violence. She had never called him 'Da' before, what caused it now, was it the stress of the moment; he could tell by the sound of her voice she wasn't reading a script that told her to call him that. She had called him 'Da' of her own choice, why she chose that instead of "dad" or whatever the Korean equivalent was he had no idea but the sound of it had a profound effect on him and Bran could only hope that he could control him when it counted.

"SeoHyun where are you?" he asked "I will find you, just tell me where you are?"

 _"I... I don't know; da... I'm in the back of a truck. We're moving... I don't know where..."_ she was close tears with the fear of the moment.

"Calm down, SeoHyun we will save you, I promise" Charles assured her trying his best to send a calming energy through the phone to her.

 _"Please... hurry."_

Meanwhile Bran was on the phone with Asil to find out if he could get some idea where SeoHyun was. His ability to find a pack mate no matter where they were was going to be their salvation.

 _"They are on the move... headed west"_ Asil replied.

Meanwhile: Samuel was stunned when Anna called him and told him that his niece was kidnapped.

"Where was she seen last, Anna?" Samuel asked.

 _"A ski resort not too far from here"_ Anna replied _"Asil said she's being taken west from here. Bran is alerting all west coast packs as we speak that this is going on, if any pack alpha finds out she is in their territory and he doesn't report to Bran they will have to face him. She somehow managed to call Charles not too long ago, that's how we first found out she was on the move."_

"Has he called Adam or should I tell him?" Samuel asked.

 _"_ _Bran is on the phone with Adam as we speak."_ Anna said.

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Adam was shocked when Bran called him, even more so when he heard that SeoHyun, Charles and Anna's adopted daughter, had been kidnapped from a skiing resort where she had gone on a field trip with her class.

"Do these idiots know what they've done?" he asked in shock.

" _I don't know if they do or not, Adam, I just need you to keep watch for her. An e-mail is being sent to you with her picture._ "

"I've got it… I'll distribute it among my pack, if any of them see her you'll be the first to hear." Adam replied

" _Thank you, Hauptman_ " Bran replied

Adam got off the phone and sent the word out through his second and third that there was an emergency meeting and that any pack member available should report to his home immediately.

Within the hour close to ninety percent of the Colombia Basin Pack was at Adam Hauptman's home waiting to find out what was happening. It was rare that emergency meetings were called so they were all concerned as to what could have happened to cause one to be called.

"I'm sure many of you have heard the rumor that Charles and Anna adopted a teenage werewolf girl, those rumors are true. Her name is SeoHyun, she's fourteen years old and this morning she went on a ski trip with her classmates and disappeared off the slopes." Adam told them

A gasp rang through the room.

"Poor thing" Auriele said sadly.

Adam handed out a printout of the teenager's most recent school photo to his pack members.

"She is four foot six and weighs in at almost a hundred pounds." He explained "She was dressed for a day on the slopes but we figure they've changed her clothes by this time."

"She's cute" Honey commented offhandedly.

"Keep watch for her, if any of you see her, we are to report it to Bran, she is one of his, the youngest submissive in his pack" Adam said "If you have an opportunity to rescue her, do it!"

Adam didn't put any force behind it, but he didn't have to they knew it was an order, this little girl need rescued.

"Do we have any idea where they were headed?" Darryl asked.

"Unfortunately we do not." Adam replied "All we know is the last we knew the kidnappers were headed west from Aspen Creek."

The pack members started to disperse and Adam looked to the kitchen to see his own daughter, Jesse, standing there watching him.

"Is she really just fourteen and already a werewolf?" Jesse asked.

"Yes, she was attacked by a rogue; I don't know the whole story though." Adam replied.

"Are we going to find her?" she asked

"If they the mistake of coming to the tri-cities we will find them and get her back." Adam's wolf flashed in his eyes. He might not have had any tie to SeoHyun but attacking a submissive was something no decent alpha tolerated even if the submissive was from another pack.

Mercy said a silent prayer then made a call to Siebold "Zee" Adelbertsmiter.

"Mercy, is everything okay, you know I don't normally associate myself in wolf business." Zee told her.

"I know and requesting anything from a fae isn't wise but…"

"What has happened, _lebling?"_ Zee asked knowing that Mercy had to have a good reason to call him about wolf business.

"A young wolf, a teenager was kidnapped this morning and we believe her kidnappers may be headed this way." Mercy explained.

"I will keep watch for her, just send me an image of her." Zee volunteered "I will not ask anything of you or her family for this because there is a child involved, these monsters need to pay for hurting her and seeing them pay for what they have done to her will be reward enough for me."

"Zee, you just need to know that her adoptive father is Charles Cornick."

Zee whistled through his teeth.

"Someone has some guts to go after her." Zee commented "The Marrok's granddaughter."

"I agree." Mercy replied.

"What is her name?" Zee asked.

"SeoHyun Lee-Cornick"

"SeoHyun Charlestochter." Zee said more to himself than to Mercy who thought that true name might have a lot of implications towards Charles' ego event thought SeoHyun wasn't born by his DNA she was enough his for Zee to true name her that way. "I will find her." Zee vowed.

She got off the phone with him and turned to Adam.

"Zee volunteered to help, the way it sounds he isn't asking for anything in return." Mercy told him "he said seeing her captors pay would be reward enough.

"Okay, that's a little more help on our side." Adam gave a heavy sigh "I'm seriously considering having you call Stefan tonight and see if he can't keep watch for her as well. You know that old vampire wouldn't say no to you, especially with a child involved."

"I was considering it myself." Mercy replied.

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SeoHyun curled up in the corner of the room as her stomach growled, she had not eaten since the lunch she had at the resort and as a werewolf her metabolism meant that she needed to eat and eat a lot. It was quickly becoming apparent that her captors either didn't know that fact or they just didn't care. Either way SeoHyun was scared and starving.

"Da… I'm scared… I want to go home!" a fear filled wolf whimper escaped her very human throat before she began to sob.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Stefan was stunned when he heard that someone was foolish enough to capture Charles' adoptive daughter. Charles' reputation was known even among the vampire community and if someone was willing to risk their lives against him they were either insane or had an immediate death wish.

He promised that he would look out for her and try to save her if the opportunity presented itself. He had connections that Mercy didn't have and he could put word out to them that if they saw her they were to report it to him and he would get in and rescue her as quickly as he could.

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Mercy sat back in her seat, she knew Charles was angry with himself for not listening to his instincts about this trip when they told him she shouldn't go. SeoHyun understood about Charles' ability to feel when bad things were going to happen and would have understood if he didn't want her to go because of that. She might have been disappointed but if she understood the situation right Charles was planning to mitigate that by taking her and possibly Kara on a ski trip to Aspen, Colorado before school started back for the spring. Mercy honestly thought that Charles might end up making it a family trip with just him, his wife Anna and SeoHyun.

"This is bad, Adam, what are we going to do?" she asked.

"Keep watch and hope we can get SeoHyun back." Adam replied "for everyone's sake.

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Asil sighed as he pruned his roses, he felt bad that he couldn't have done more to find SeoHyun for Charles. He knew Charles loved that little submissive wolf as if she was his own daughter and it hurt him like hell to not know where she was.

"Hello… hello"

Asil wasn't surprised when Sage arrived in his house.

"In here Sage." He replied.

Sage entered the hot house with a sigh.

"I can't believe anyone would hurt that cute little girl." She sighed "She never did anything to anyone… outside of the hunt she'd never hurt a fly."

"I know; and that old _lobo_ is likely to kill someone over this." Asil replied "and enjoy it way too much, that's his _hija_ and only a crazy person would go after her and think he could get away with it."

"I agree." Sage sighed.

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The next day Asil tried again to locate SeoHyun and came up with a better idea of where they should look.

"Bran I thought I would let you know I narrowed down our search radius to the tri-cities in Washington." Asil told him.

"I will let Hauptman know that his pack should be on high alert for her." Bran assured Asil.

Asil wasn't sure if he should let Charles know what he had found out or wait until he had a better idea where SeoHyun was.

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Adam was shocked when he learned that Asil had narrowed down the teen's possible location to the Tri-Cities.

"I really wish I had a tie to her, it would make finding her so much easier." Adam sighed as he paced the living room of his house.

Mercy watched as he rubbed his hair to dispel energy. He hated being powerless in this situation. As a father himself he understood how stressful it was to not know where his daughter was or if she was okay. Rogue wolves had kidnapped his own daughter and held her hostage for a while before he was captured as well. The truth was this had to be worse for Charles, Jesse had never been as fragile as Adam had heard that SeoHyun had been when she arrived in Aspen Creek. The poor girl had been afraid of her own shadow when she arrived. So abused by the alpha that should have cared for her when she first underwent the change, but he didn't care for her, he hurt her and had her so beaten down it wasn't clear if she would ever recover, but under Anna and Charles' care she flourished. To have her in an uncertain situation had to be hard on Charles and Anna both.

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Samuel looked out the window; he was seriously toying with the idea of rejoining his father's pack, if only temporarily in order to find his niece. He knew his father would be in town shortly to continue the search for SeoHyun closer to where she was thought to be and so far Adam had no problem with this, they were looking for a member of Bran's pack, his granddaughter if anything Adam would have been concerned if Bran wasn't on his way, the only concern they had was that Charles and Anna were coming along as well.

How well did Charles have his brother wolf under control with his daughter missing? Samuel had no answer to that question and didn't feel like attempting a fight with his little brother to try and stop him or his brother wolf should that have to happen.

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SeoHyun looked up as a male wolf stepped into the room, she recognized him from the San Diego pack. He was one of the few supporters of the old alpha that was still alive. This revelation made her blood run cold in her veins.

"We can't seem to cut ties between you and your current pack, seems you are tied to the Marrok himself and his hold on you is too tight, only he can sever it unless you decide you want out." The man commented grabbing a handful of the hair at the back of SeoHyun's head. "Is he the man you called 'Da', only his children call him Da, does that mean he adopted you?"

SeoHyun said nothing; these wolves had no tie to her thus held no sway over her they didn't need to know that her da was the wolf that killed their alpha, let them think it was Bran, it would only make it more fun when the learned that it was actually his son and enforcer, Charles.

The wolf, Sebastian, backhanded her across the face so hard she tasted her own blood in her mouth, the hand in her hair released as he struck so she fell in a heap on the floor.

"Sir, there is word that the Marrok and Charles are coming to the area." A wolf SeoHyun didn't recognize stated; his tone was filled with worry.

"I will speak with you later." Sebastian said angrily then turned back to SeoHyun "If I hear so much as a peep out of you, you will live to regret it!" He warned her menacingly before leaving.

SeoHyun curled up in a corner far from the door and began sobbing quietly, and if Sebastian heard it he didn't return to do anything about it. She remembered Sebastian was always a sadist so she figured he probably took some sort of sick pleasure out of the sound of her fear filled sobs.

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Another night fell on SeoHyun and she had not eaten since the day before and her stomach was growling with hunger so much that she couldn't sleep and she could feel her wolf rebelling against her control. She had to get out of there, had to get food.

She had almost cried herself to sleep when the door was slammed open and another woman was pushed in.

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Mercy had been shocked when she picked up the familiar smell of wolf, fear and a residual smell of Charles and Anna coming from the basement of a thought abandoned house. She was even more shocked when a werewolf grabbed her from behind and dragged her inside.

"What is this place?" Mercy demanded.

"You smell of coyote, and werewolf."

Mercy didn't justify that observation with a reply.

"You came too close; I can't let you leave now, little coyote." The man said beside her ear before dragging her to a door and throwing her inside where her eyes fell on an Asian teenager.

"SeoHyun…?"

The girl looked up, her face tearstained.

"Who are you?" the girl asked fearfully, trying to make herself as small as she could.

"My name is Mercy; I'm a friend of Charles and Anna." Mercy said.

SeoHyun's face lit up at that.

"I heard Da talk about you. You were also there when I joined the Marrok Pack."

Mercy looked confused for a second before she put two and two together to come up with the conclusion that she must call Charles 'Da' now.

"Are you okay?" Mercy asked, she noticed the fading bruise on SeoHyun's cheek but it was fading slower than Mercy would have liked to see.

SeoHyun didn't say anything but her growling stomach told Mercy that the little girl hadn't eaten in a while. That was bad, even a submissive could be dangerous when allowed to get hungry enough.

Mercy collected the small girl in her arms and began to look for a way out of the room and to some place where she could get SeoHyun food.

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Bran arrived early the next morning to find Adam fit to be tied. Jesse quickly explained that his mate had been captured the evening before.

"We will find her" Bran told Adam, furious that his little coyote had been captured.

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Meanwhile Mercy watched helplessly as Sebastian hit SeoHyun across the face. He was frustrated with her fighting back. The SeoHyun he had known had obeyed him meekly as submissives were supposed to do, but this time was different. He had tried to put his hand down her pants and, for the first time in her young life, she had acted to defend herself. Her hands had been restrained but her mouth had been free and she bit him hard enough to draw blood. That had shocked and infuriated him which led to him backhanding her hard enough to bust her lip while calling her every ugly word he could think of. Mercy fought her own restraints, as Adam's mate, Mercy could draw on his strength and she was seconds away from doing just that. She had to stop this; SeoHyun didn't do anything to deserve this treatment from these wolves. Finally Mercy had enough and reached for Adam's energy to break the restraints and attack the assailants. Sebastian was shocked by this and immediately retreated along with his cohorts. Mercy knew Adam felt her pull from him, that was good; then he would know she needed help and would have a good idea where to look for her and SeoHyun.

SeoHyun looked fearfully at Mercy.

"Calm down, it's okay, I borrowed a little power from Adam."

"Adam… is he your mate?" SeoHyun asked.

"Yes and he's the Alpha of the Colombia Basin Pack." Mercy explained.

SeoHyun looked like she had about ten thousand questions but this wasn't the time to answer them. It was time to pull the might of the Columba Basin Pack down on the heads of these interlopers. Mercy took a deep breath reaching once again for Adam's energy this time to call on the pack for aid, then threw her head back and a very inhuman how ripped from her throat, she'd had enough. She could feel the might of the pack behind her wordlessly asking her what she needed, and how they could help her.

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Adam was talking with Bran when he stopped suddenly. He could feel Mercy pulling for his strength then asking to call the pack to help her.

"Adam is everything okay?" Anna asked.

"It's Mercy; she's calling for the pack." Adam replied "She's calling a rescue party to her location."

Adam let her call his wolves and followed the call himself, Bran, Anna, Samuel and Charles all followed him to the location where over half the pack had gathered and were preparing to infiltrate.

"Adam, are we going in?" Darryl asked.

"Yes." Adam replied simply "She called us, it's time to answer her."

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Sebastian was shocked when his hideout was infiltrated by close to twenty werewolves. He had heard Mercy's howl but paid it no mind as he figured it was nothing but frustration. He had no idea that she could tap into the power of the local pack alpha to pull his pack down on his head.

"You… you were part of the San Diego pack we took SeoHyun from." Charles said in shock.

"She got our alpha killed." Sebastian said angrily.

"You're alpha got himself killed when he started abusing his power and allowing people to be turned against their will." Charles shot back "You should know that you were one of his top wolves, how many did you turn against their will?"

"None…" Sebastian lied.

"Try again and I wouldn't recommend you tell me another lie." Charles growled.

"Several… four or five," Sebastian said.

"Was SeoHyun among your victims, and remember you can't lie to me." Charles asked.

"N… Yes… yes she was… I wanted her father, he would have made a good dominant wolf but…"

"But he didn't survive the change neither did his wife."

Bran glared at his younger son. He saw what was happening, what had to happen now that the truth was out.

"You are guilty of illegally turning humans and forming a pack without consent of the Marrok."

"You might have killed my alpha but you won't kill me." Sebastian declared before attacking Charles.

Sebastian lunged at Charles but he wasn't even a challenge for the older wolf; who had him dead before his feet could leave the ground.

"Where are the captives?" Charles demanded.

"Charles…"

Charles froze at the intonation in his father's voice.

"Settle down or you will frighten SeoHyun…" Bran scolded.

Charles let out a long breath, his Da was right, SeoHyun might have come a long way since he took her in but she was still needed to be handled with care, something he was far from capable of doing while this angry.

One of the younger wolves stepped forward.

"I will show you where she is." He told them.

Bran could tell they had not liked what their Alpha did but had no choice but to follow him because he was the alpha.

Adam followed as well, he could tell these were loyal wolves and he would take any who wanted to join his pack as long as they were willing to be obedient to him.

The wolf grabbed a key and unlocked a door. Mercy stepped out as if she were ready to fight but relaxed instantly when she felt Adam grab her and his love flood through their mate bond. She then turned and told SeoHyun it was safe to come out.

SeoHyun eased her way out then her courage returned when her eyes landed on Charles.

"Da!" she threw herself into his arms and began to sob. Her knees gave but that didn't matter as Charles eased her to the floor. Anna knelt beside him and put her hand on SeoHyun's back. They were a family again. The wolves around them said nothing as Charles held SeoHyun tightly in his arms, a deep soothing sound came from his throat as he tried to reassure her that he was really there and that she was safe and would be coming home.

Anna was humming a soft tune and allowing her omega powers to slip through her touch and into SeoHyun in her own attempt to soothe her daughter.

Bran watched with a smile, he knew that SeoHyun had a profound effect on his son and vice versa, but he had yet to see how profound until that very moment.

Adam and Samuel were just stunned at how close SeoHyun and particularly Charles were. They had thought perhaps that Charles had kept her at an arm's distance like he did everyone else, but that moment showed that was far from the case. He held her close and their bond couldn't be tighter had she been of his own flesh and blood.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

It didn't take long to get back to Adam's home and as soon as they got there Samuel started evaluating SeoHyun's condition. On the way there she had meekly brought it to everyone's attention that she was starving, though her growling stomach announced it to even those without werewolf hearing. Bran had further pressed her to see exactly how long it had been since she had eaten and it took everything he and Adam had to keep everyone calm when they learned it had been nearly forty- eight hours since she had eaten or drank anything.

While Samuel looked SeoHyun over Darryl excused himself to start working on the traditional Sunday breakfast.

Charles watched nervously as his brother examined SeoHyun.

"Would you calm down, old man, she's fine." Samuel said "She's hungry and dehydrated but that's nothing that can't be fixed in a couple of hours. She's lost a little weight but not enough to worry about."

Charles settled down as Samuel set up an IV catheter and an IV bag of fluids to rehydrate her.

Auriele came in a few moments later with a plate and glass of orange juice for SeoHyun. The others knew they would have to go into the kitchen but because SeoHyun was young and had an IV in her arm Auriele was willing to serve her. SeoHyun thanked Auriele and then began to eat.

Samuel couldn't help notice the relief in his brother's expression as he watched SeoHyun eat the meal provided for her. He knew his brother had been stressed out while SeoHyun was missing and to see her alive and well did him and his brother wolf a lot of good.

Auriele told them to go get plates that she would keep watch over SeoHyun.

Charles was reluctant but soon admitted that he could use some food and went with his brother to get food.

"It feels good to have her back safely, doesn't it?" Samuel asked in Welsh.

"It does… I'm going to be honest… I never thought I could love someone the way I love her and Anna." Charles admitted switching languages just as easily as his older brother had.

"That's what it's like to be a father," they heard their father say. "That's how I felt with both of you, and you're being rude!"

Both brothers switched back to English to apologize to their father and continue their conversation.

Mercy finished her breakfast and put a call in to Zee to let him know SeoHyun had been found and her captor killed.

"Good, serves him right for hurting a child." Zee said firmly.

Mercy would have to wait until that night to call Stefan and let him know SeoHyun was home and safe. He would be thrilled that she was rescued and that justice prevailed in the end.

That evening Bran, Anna and Charles took SeoHyun home to Aspen Creek. Charles was sitting in the back seat with SeoHyun trying to figure out how he could make Christmas special for SeoHyun after everything she went through. He had never been very festive, when it was just him or just him and Anna it really didn't seem necessary, but SeoHyun deserved a festive Christmas. He remembered seeing SeoHyun eyeing his guitar with a lot of interest. Maybe getting her a guitar of her own and teaching her to play would be a good idea, but that didn't make Christmas festive. He needed more, something better. He looked down at SeoHyun as she leaned against him, asleep. She had not rested well while in captivity and it was clear to anyone who looked at her that she was tired and Charles had no intentions of waking her until they got home, but he knew she needed to eat sometime between leaving the Tri-Cities and Aspen Creek. They stopped and got some food along the way and SeoHyun protested having to wake up but Charles' glare stopped that and she ate silently then went back to sleep for a couple of hours longer.

Home had never been more of a welcome sight than it was that day through the windshield of Bran's Humvee. Soon it was dinner, baths and bed for the whole family. The next day they just stayed in and got SeoHyun settled back in after all she had gone through.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((A&O)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

December first found Charles and SeoHyun walking through an area where Charles knew he could find trees the proper size and species to use for a Christmas tree. He had made this trek several times before but this year just felt special.

"Da, what are we doing?" SeoHyun asked. She had decided to continue to call him 'Da' even after she was reminded that she didn't have to she had also taken to calling Anna 'mom' a fact that they all said just felt right.

"We're getting a Christmas tree." Charles explained.

SeoHyun smiled brightly "A real tree."

Apparently this was the first time she had any experience with real Christmas trees. Charles decided in that moment that they needed to make this a tradition, that every year that she still lived with them they would go together to get the tree.

"Yes… now let's see if we can find a good one."

It took about half an hour to find the right one and longer to get it home, but in the end both of them deemed the whole affair worth it.

Anna came in to help them decorate the tree and the next few days would see a handful of gifts appear under.

Christmas morning was a festive affair and SeoHyun noticed a rather large box under it for her from Charles that piqued her curiosity, but unfortunately gifts would have to wait until Bran arrived with his gifts for them. SeoHyun decided he couldn't arrive soon enough.

Bran was amused by his impatient granddaughter, she had never had a Christmas like this before; it wasn't that her family didn't celebrate Christmas, they did, they just never could afford to do much, and festive was hard when you were always looking over your shoulder in fear.

They went through their gifts but the one SeoHyun was really curious about seemed to keep getting pushed back until it was the last gift under the tree.

"Da, will you let me open that one now?" she asked nearly exasperated at having to wait. She wanted to know what that gift was and Charles seemed to be in no big hurry to tell her what it was or give her a single hint.

"Okay, you can open it now." Charles smiled handing the box to SeoHyun

She ripped off the paper only to find a plain box and wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Open the box." Charles prompted.

She did and gasped.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7

SeoHyun was stunned when she pulled a guitar case then opened it to find a beautiful guitar inside.

"Da... it's beautiful, but... I don't play guitar." she said in confusion

"I'm going to teach you." Charles clarified "If you want to learn."

"I do!" SeoHyun said with a huge smile "thank you, Da"

She hugged him and he returned it. Her coming into his life had changed so much about who Charles was and how he looked at himself. He had, at first, seen himself as a killer and worried that he would taint her innocence, but it was becoming clear to him that she didn't see a killer, she saw her father, the man who took care of her and loved her.

It took a little while to convince SeoHyun to wait until after dinner for her first guitar lesson. Charles had to look into a few things before he could start as she was opposite handed from himself. He soon learned that all she would need to do was mirror him and she would be fine.

Dinner was delicious and afterwards SeoHyun and Charles sat together in the living room with their guitars going through the basics of guitar playing.

SeoHyun smiled brightly, this was her home, her family and she never felt safer. She loved being able to learn from them even trivial things. They had also found that she had a love of baking and cakes were something of a specialty of hers. She had taken some cake decorating classes in Missoula with Sage and loved it. She had spoken of studying baking in college and turning that into a profession of sorts. Charles and Anna were supportive of her ideas and told her that she could do that if she desired and they would be there should she need help.

They had also learned early on that SeoHyun had a very respectable soprano range and in practices her bright crisp high notes often contrasted surprisingly well with Charles' deep, rich baritone/base notes with Anna's alto providing a nice middle ground to create a unique and gorgeous sound. That was what led to them walking up to the stage to join a visiting Samuel in a quartet, Samuel filling the high male vocals. SeoHyun had to fight down the nervous butterflies as she tried not to lose her dinner. She had never done a performance like this, sure she wasn't alone on stage, but she had the most important part most of the time meaning she couldn't make too many mistakes.

The music began and soon they had built into a beautiful rendition of Carol of the Bells that brought everyone to their feet by the end.

SeoHyun couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she returned to her seat, the performance had gone beautifully.

"You did great, SeoHyun." Bran said.

"Thank you." She replied.

"What is it with Cornick's and exceptional musical talent?" Samuel wondered idly.

Bran wanted to scold him for arrogance but he had to admit that observation was true. He was a very good tenor as was Samuel; Charles made an impressive baritone/base. Anna then came in, her alto range was exceptional. Then SeoHyun was brought in rounding everything out with a surprisingly respectable two and a half octave soprano range that with training would only sound better.

"This has been a good Christmas," Bran admitted "and they'll only get better from here."

The End…


End file.
